Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone (Greek: Περσεφονη, "destroy-slay"), also known as Kore ("the maiden"), is the queen of the Underworld and the goddess of spring growth. She is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, and she is married to Hades. Persephone is the mother of Zagreus and Melinoe by Zeus. Her sacred attributes include a torch, asphodel, a pomegranate, and wheat. Persephone's close companion is Hecate, since she had helped Persephone's mother in her search for Persephone by giving her light throughout the night with her torches. In Roman mythology, Persephone is closely equated with Proserpina. Mythology Abduction Persephone used to live far away from the other gods as a goddess of nature before the days of planting seeds and nurturing plants. Both Hermes and Apollo tried to court Persephone but her mother, Demeter, rejected their advances and hid Persephone away from all the Olympian gods. Hades witnessed Persephone collecting flowers in a field while in the company of many Oceanides and instantly fell in love with her. Hades burst through a cleft in the earth and took Persephone to the Underworld with him. When Demeter returned and found that her daughter had disappeared, she searched all over the earth with Hecate's help. All while searching for her daughter, Demeter halted all plant growth on the earth. Eventually, Helios told Demeter who had taken her daughter and she demanded Zeus to bring their daughter back. Zeus, after hearing the hunger cries of the humans since none of their food was growing, demanded that Hades return Persephone to her mother. Hades complied with Zeus' command but tricked Persephone by giving her some pomegranate seeds to eat. Persephone was released by Hermes but because she had tasted food in the Underworld, she was obliged to spend half of her year there and the remaining part with her mother in Olympus. Adonis Adonis was a child of Myrrha who was cursed by Aphrodite with insatiable lust for her own father, King Cinyras of Cyprus, after Myrrha's mother bragged that her daughter was more beautiful than the goddess. Driven out after becoming pregnant, Myrrha was transformed into a myrrh tree but still gave birth to Adonis. Aphrodite found the baby and took him to the Underworld to be fostered by Persephone. Aphrodite returned after Adonis was fully-grown and strikingly handsome, but Persephone wanted to keep him with her. Zeus declared that Adonis would spend a third of the year with Aphrodite, a third with Persephone, and a third with whichever godess he wished to. Adonis always chose to spend the extra third of the year with Aphrodite, however. After Adonis was killed by a jealous Ares in the guise of a wild boar, Aphrodite asked Persephone to bring him back to life. After consulting with Zeus again, he decided that Adonis would spend half the year with Aphrodite and the other half with Persephone. Epithets *''Aristi Chthonia'' ("the best chthonic") *''Despoina'' ("the mistress") *''Hagne'' ("pure") as the goddess of the springs in Messenia *''Kore'' ("the maiden") *''Kore Memagmeni'' ("the mixed daughter") *''Kore Soteira'' ("the savior maiden") *''Melindia'' as the consort of Hades *''Melinoia'' as the consort of Hades *''Melivia'' *''Melitodes'' *''Neotera'' ("the younger") *''Praxidike'' Category:Greek mythology Category:Greek deities Category:Greek gods